V. I. Lenin

Three Speeches Delivered In Red
Square

May Day, 1919

Newspaper Reports

Lenin’s appearance among the demonstrators was greeted with a lengthy ovation. After greeting the Moscow and
world proletariat, Lenin compared the May Day celebrations of the
previous year with the present celebrations. In the course of the
year, he said, the political situation had changed considerably in
favour of Soviet power. On May the First the year before they had
been threatened by German imperialism, it had been routed and
dispersed.

The conditions under which the proletarian festival was being
celebrated had changed in other countries as well. The workers in
all countries were taking the path of struggle against imperialism. The emancipated working class was triumphantly
celebrating its festival freely and openly not only in Soviet
Russia, but also in Soviet Hungary, and ill Soviet Bavaria.

“And we can say with certainty,” continued Lenin, “that not only in Red Moscow, in Red Petrograd and in
Budapest, but in all large proletarian centres, the workers, who
have come out into the streets today riot merely to take the air
but to demonstrate their strength, are talking about the
significance of Soviet power and of the early triumph of the
proletariat.”

Going on to deal with the threats of Anglo-French imperialism, Lenin said that considering that Anglo-French
imperialists had been compelled to retire from the battle-field in
the Ukraine, where small units of insurgents were operating, they
would certainly be unable to resist the united forces of Soviet
Russia, Hungary and Bavaria. Their withdrawal from Odessa and the
Crimea had shown that the British and French soldiers did not wish
to fight against Soviet Russia, and this was the pledge of Soviet
victory.

Lenin then read a telegram he had received from Comrade Kamenev
to the effect that Sevastopol had been entirely cleared of French
forces.

“Thus, today,” he said, “the Red Flag of the proletariat, which is celebrating its day of liberation from the
imperialist gangs, is flying over liberated Sevastopol.”
(Lengthy ovation. Shouts of “ Hurrah” repeated for a long time .)

Dealing with the Kolchak danger, Lenin said that the latest
reports from the front gave them grounds to believe that victory
over Koichak was quite near. Tens and hundreds of thousands of
men were being sent to the front, and these would completely
destroy Koichak’s gangs.

In conclusion, Lenin expressed his confidence in the final
victory of Soviet power all over the world and exclaimed:
“Long live the world Soviet republic! Long live communism!”

“The majority of those here present are no older than 30
to 35 years of age,” said Lenin, “and they will live to see the full bloom of communism, from which we are still
remote.”

Pointing to the children, Lenin said that they, who were
taking. part in the celebration of the festival of the emancipation of labour, would fully enjoy the fruits of the
labours and sacrifices of the revolutionaries.

“Our grandchildren will examine the documents and other
relics of the epoch of the capitalist system with amazement. It
will be difficult for them to picture to themselves how the trade
in articles of primary necessity could remain in private hands,
how factories could belong to individuals, how some men could
exploit others, how it was possible for those who did not work to
exist. Up to now the story of what our children would see in the
future has sounded like a fairy-tale; but today, comrades, you
clearly see that the edifice of socialist society, of which we
have laid the foundations, is not a utopia. Our children will
build this edifice with oven greater zeal.” (Stormy applause.)

Speech At The Unveiling Of A Monument
To Stepan Razin On Lobnoye
Mesto [1] (Stormy applause). Comrades, we are today celebrating
May Day in company with proletarians throughout the world who
thirst for the overthrow of capital. This Lobnoye Mesto is a
reminder of how many centuries of torment were suffered by the
working people under the yoke of the oppressors, for the power
of capital never could be maintained except by the force and
oppression that even in past times aroused indignation. This
monument is erected to one who represented the rebellious
peasants. On this spot he laid down his life in the struggle for
freedom. Russian revolutionaries have made many sacrifices in
the struggle against capital. The best of the proletarians and
the peasants, the freedom fighters, perished, bmit it was not in
the fight for the sort of freedom capital offers, freedom in
which the banks, private factories and profiteering are
retained. Down with such freedom! What we need is real freedom
and that is possible only when society consists entirely of
working people. To achieve such freedom much labour and many
sacrifices will be required. We shall do everything possible to
achieve that great aim, to build socialism. (Stormy applause).

Endnotes

[1]
Lobnoye Mesto is a round stone dais in Red Square. Royal edicts
and death sentences were announced from it in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. In 1671, Stepan Razin, leader of the
peasant revolt of 1667-71, was executed there —Editor.